Past Problems Catch Up!
by Syladin Shadesmar
Summary: It is 50 years later. Max is married to Iggy, but is still caught between Fang and Dylan! Anne Ride, her granddaughter, lives on Max's legacy.  Editing to squeeze back up to the top of the list, since most people forgot it exists...
1. Prologue

Prologue

_Anne Ride stood by the window, awaiting her grandmother's arrival._

"_Come eat your dinner, honey," her mother called from the kitchen._

"_I'm not moving until Grandma and Grandpa get here," she said._

"_But six year olds need vegetables to be healthy. Eat before they get cold," she said sternly._

_Anne shoved the food down her throat, then resumed her position by the window. Finally, a car drove up the driveway._

"_She's here!" Anne exclaimed. _

_Grandma Maxine burst through the front door, leading Grandpa James through. He was blind, but he still found his way around pretty well._

"_Grandma Maxine!"_

"_Hello, child," she said sweetly._

"_Mother, my little Annie's been dying to show you something. She won't even tell me what it is," Anne's mother said._

"_Yeah! Back up, everybody!"_

_Anne took off her jacket to reveal that she had slit two vertical holes in the back of her blouse._

"_Honey," her mother said, her smile fading into a grimace. "If this is what you wanted to show us, then I'm sorry but you can't go around cutting holes in your best… ah-"_

_Her mother gasped for air as she saw what her daughter did._

_Anne unfolded her wings from her back._

"_You… have…wings?" Then her mother fell in a dead faint._

_Grandma Max stared. And stared._

"_What? What happened?" James asked._

"_Honey, she has wings!"_

"_What? But Nicole didn't!"_

"_Maybe it skips a generation," Maxine murmured._

_Anne noticed the shocked faces of her grandparents. "But… I have wings," she said. "Doesn't that mean something?"_

_Maxine bent down to her eye level._

"_Honey, you have something that you're mommy doesn't know exists. You need to let her know that they're not real. Convince she imagined them."_

_Anne was puzzled. "So… mommy doesn't have them?"_

"_No, child."_

"_So then… why do I?"_

"_Well…"_

"_Does this have anything to do with Monique?" she asked. Before Maxine could reply, she said more. "Does this have anything to do with Gabriel? Or Angelica? Or Dylan? Or Fang?"_

_Maxine paled. "How… how do you know who they are?"_

"_I heard you talking about it in the car."_

"_In the car? But how?"_

"_I can hear far away things. Can… other people not do that or something?" Anne asked innocently._

"_What did she say she can do?" James asked._

_Maxine ignored him._

"_Honey. Don't tell anyone about this. We'll talk later. Okay?_


	2. Something Suspicious

_Okay?_

_Okay?_

_Okay?_

_Okay?_

"Shut up! I heard you the first time!" I shouted.

Then I realized that my grandma impersonator had been my alarm clock.

Ick. Why did I always have that stupid dream?

_It's probably so your subconscious won't let you forget the memory, _my Voice said.

_After all, repetition helps you remember things. _

Just shut up so I can go to school, I thought back.

_But the last time I left, you got detention from three teachers and a referral,_ it said annoyingly.

I sighed. It was right, after all.

I thudded downstairs to my mom, who was making pancakes. But I was very careful to hide my wings before I left my room.

"Good morning!" she chirped happily. She had probably dismissed that night as a dream. A horrible dream that I had grown wings and Grandma had gone missing. No, in her opinion I was a normal kid still trying to cope with my grandma and grandpa's death eight years ago.

But only I knew the truth.

"Well, I'm off to school."

"Honey! Don't be so nonchalant. It's your first day of middle school!"

_She makes that sound like a good thing, _my Voice said tiredly.

For once, I agreed with it.

Stuffing a pancake into my mouth, I shoved some books into my backpack and headed out the door.

"Bye Mom!" I said it fast so she wouldn't have time to reply.

I sprinted outside, feeling the breeze on my face. I had a sudden urge to spread my wings out, to catch the wind in the folds of my snowy sails, and to ride on its back.

Then I remembered that I was in a public area where anyone could see me, so I decided to stay on the DL.

Besides, if I tore any more holes in my shirts, my mom might get worried. Not to mention mad.

And anyway, I couldn't fly. I had never tried.

Eventually, I joined one of my friends on the sidewalk.

"Hey Christie."

"Hi Annie! So, how was your presentation in math class yesterday?"

I groaned. "Terrible. I got a C minus."

"It was probably better than mine. I got a D!"

"Whoa," I said. Then we both doubled over, laughing. Giggling just like two friends, walking to school, neither of us seemingly capable of hiding a deadly secret.

Well, looks can be deceiving.

We walked the rest of the way to school, talking about normal things like favorite singers and boys and stuff. We were having such a grand old time that we were tardy.

Oops.

Plus, the teachers had to rub it in by giving Christie and me separate detentions, ensuring that we would not try to talk to each other.

I stumbled through first, second, third, and fourth period to lunch, where the Voice decided to present one of its infamous "I told you so" speeches

_So, how's life going without me so far?_

Shut up, I thought back.

After lunch, I tried not to fall asleep in geography, so I concentrated on the window. Suddenly, something caught my eye.

A boy!

He was lurking on the edge of the P.E. field. Well, I had P.E. next period, so I figured I'd find out who he was.

The next period came quickly. I walked over to where I had seen the boy.

He wasn't there, so I thought he had gone into the bushes.

He'd even left footprints!

I followed the trail for a few minutes. But the trail had abruptly ended.

The footprints from this point on had vanished.

I expanded my senses.

I could hear the P.E. girls' feet thudding on the pavement.

I listened to a hummingbird flitting around a tree a few feet in front of me. Finally, I heard the complaining of a tree branch… with someone sitting on it.

When I opened my eyes, I knew at once that I would not be able to see these things- I could only hear them. But I looked where I had heard the branch groaning, but nothing was there.

_I guess we'll have to climb, _my Voice piped up.

Yeah. A _lot _of climbing.


	3. An Equally Suspicious Character

A Suspicious Character

I climbed on. Twenty feet up, and I finally found the branch that the boy was supposedly sitting on. Only, there was nothing there.

I had climbed this whole way for nothing?!

I decided to pull myself up anyway.

My hand slid across the branch, but instead of tree bark, it met skin.

_And then the skin moved._

"Ahhh!" The boy appeared out of thin air and plummeted downward.

And then- get this-wings sprouted out of his back!

"Max!" he exclaimed.

I was a little shocked. I had thought he was just some kind of person who skipped school and followed people around…but I hadn't seen that coming.

He arced gracefully in a circle, and then turned to the tree I was in.

Oops- the tree I was _stuck _in.

The boy came closer, then scowled.

"Who are you?" he asked. Ahh, he must have realized that I'm not Max.

"Anne Ride," I told him. Why did I tell him my name? I really don't know.

He paled. "Is your mom's name… Max?"

I looked into his eyes. Suddenly, I wanted to spill everything out to him. His eyes… somehow, they made me want to give him a hug, to comfort him.

"No. Her name is Nicole. But my Grandma's name is." I realized this had probably been who he was looking for.

And it had been.

He stiffened. "No… that's not possible," he mumbled.

He gripped my shoulders. "I have to know! Who is your grandfather?"

"James."

"James… Griffith?"

"Uh, yeah, I think so," I said uncertainly. How had he known that?

He flew behind me and landed on the branch. The feeling with his eyes was gone, and now I was mad that I had told him so much.

"Yikes! Don't do that, or I might fall off." What was he doing back there, anyway?

"You have wings, though. Why should you worry about falling off?" he asked.

I blushed. How had he known?

"I… I can't fly."

He looked at me. Then his eyes lit up, and he started laughing!

"What's so funny?" I asked indignantly.

He moved closer. "This."

He put his hands on my back and _shoved._

He had pushed me off the branch!

It seemed like I was falling slowly. The ground was fifteen feet away. Suddenly, it sped up. Yikes! Now it was just ten feet away!

The boy was falling beside me.

"What are you doing? Fly!"

"I can't!" I shouted. Five feet away!

"Yes you can! It's an instinct!"

"Instinct my butt!" I shouted. Impact!!!!!!

My face was literally inches from the ground when I felt a tugging on my back.

My wings!

I almost cried with relief when I realized that my wings weren't pulling me up- the boy was.

He set me on the ground gently. I spun around to face him.

"Who do you think you are? What nerve of you to go around pushing people out of trees! I could have died!"

He shrugged. "Twenty feet isn't far enough to _die_," He said nonchalantly.

"Yeah, but it's far enough to break my legs!" _Brring! _Oh crap, the bell!

"Just… stay away from me, creep! Don't come back here again!"

"His eyes clouded over with thought. "Sure," he said. "Whatever."

He took off, vanishing into the clouds.


	4. A Favor Exchange

**Hi everyone!!!!!**

**I'm so excited! This is the fourth chapter, in case you didn't know.**

**Anyways, I wanted to tell you to review this chapter a lot, because it's probably the longest chapter. Maybe.**

**Enjoy. Click. Review!!!!**

A Favor Exchange

I walked back home, mulling over today's events. Christie would have walked with me, but she had her detention today-mine would be tomorrow.

I opened the front door and plopped down on the couch. Then I fed a whole bag of potato chips into my mouth. Then another. And another. Wow, suddenly, I was starving!

Before I knew it, I was at the refrigerator door. In no time, I'd downed a pitcher of milk, polished off the leftover pizza, and was laying tubs of butter on every last bagel in the house.

"Honey, I bought some more paper towels at the- OH MY GOD!! What are you doing?!" my mom asked incredulously.

"Nuffing," I said, my mouth full. Why was I so hungry?

"Stop! Stop it right now!" but I could tell she was quite scared, from the way I heard her heartbeat quicken. Well, I guess a mother should be if her child is destroying her kitchen.

Three bagels later, I was satisfied. And the fridge was empty.

Mom gaped. "Uh… I needed to clean it out… anyway…." Her voice died out.

Wanting to get out of this awkward moment, I said, "Well, I need to finish homework-bye." I bounded up the stairs before mom could reply.

Right before I turned the knob to my door, I heard something with my super-hearing. Someone was in my room!

"Aha!-oh," I said as I slammed the door open.

No one was there.

I closed my eyes.

Mom had started the washing machine-I could hear it clicking in my eardrums. And a bird was tapping on the window with its beak downstairs. Beyond, I could feel someone's feet hitting the pavement, taking a walk in the mid-afternoon sunshine. And a faint breathing…ever so slight.

Coming from… the ceiling?

"Oh, well, probably just the air conditioning," I said, just loud enough for someone to hear me. I moved slowly to the closet and pulled out a stiletto. Quick as a flash, I chucked it at the ceiling.

"Ouch!" the boy thudded on the carpet.

"You followed me home, didn't you?" I said angrily. He stared defiantly from the floor.

Suddenly, I had a question. "How do you do that?" I said, a little calmer after staring into his eyes.

"Do what?" he said.

"How do you turn invisible?"

He shrugged. "I just… can."

"Why are you here?"

"I need a place to stay, don't I?"

A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts.

"Honey, are you okay? We need to talk."

It was mom!

"Quick, hide-" but he was already invisible. Dang, he was good.

"Can I come in, sweetie?" mom asked.

"Uh… sure," I replied, trying to sound casual.

She stepped in.

"I heard a noise a few minutes ago," she said.

"Oh. That was… my… er… backpack! Yeah, I uh… had to write a report… about, something that shocked or frightened someone. I pushed it over to scare you. And you've really helped. Now I can write it!" I said. What a lame excuse.

"Honey, when you ate everything downstairs… well, I want to know if everything's okay."

"Everything's fine." I smelled something burning.

"Uh, mom, what's that?"

She sniffed the air. "Oh no! My casserole!" She dashed downstairs.

I sighed. She was always doing a million things at one time.

"What did she mean about you…'eating everything downstairs'?" the boy materialized.

I stared into his eyes.

Then I told him the whole episode.

"You were probably deprived of food," he finally said.

"Of course not! I eat three meals a day," I replied.

"That's just the thing. Bird kids like us need _ten_ meals a day. The only reason you've been able to get by is that you've never had to use your wings, so they take up a lot less energy. Plus, you…don't really have to fight much. You live in a gated community. Your mom protects you. Your friends protect you. You don't have to scavenge for your next meal."

I could tell he was having trouble getting all of this out of his mouth. He probably didn't talk much. Wait a minute! I replayed those last few sentences. Was he comparing himself to me?

I tore myself away from his eyes. "Are you calling me normal?"

He shrugged. "Yes," he said.

I needed to know something. "Why are you here?"

"Because I need a place to stay. And I'm looking for someone."

"Maybe I can help."

"No. It's too dangerous for you. I have more… experience."

Suddenly, I wanted to do what he did. I didn't want a normal life. I wanted to travel, exploring the world with only what I could carry on my back, even if that included wings. I longed to fly, just like him. But first…

"Alright. You can stay."

He perked up a bit, but masked it with an indifferent face.

"On one condition."

He shrugged. "Yeah,"

"Teach me to fly. And tell me everything."

He stared.

"I can teach you to fly. But…everything? That would take too long."

"Fine. Tell me everything on a need-to-know basis."

"Okay. But this will take a while, too. Sit down."

I sat on the bed.

"It all started 50 years ago…"


	5. REVEALED

**CHAPTER FIVE: REVEALED **

"Fifty years!!!" I said disbelievingly. "But…you're just a kid!"

The boy sighed. "Things aren't what they appear."

"But… how-"

"I'll get to that later. But there was… this… group, I was a part of. We called ourselves the Flock."

He took a deep breath.

"The group consisted of orphans. There was Iggy."

"Iggy? What kind of name-"

"They weren't our real names," the boy said. "There was also Angel, Gazzy, Nudge, and… Max."

I gasped. "She was… my grandmother?"

The boy nodded.

"I was known as Fang."

"Well…what were their real names?"

"We didn't know. We were outcasts. We had no records. No parents. But we all had wings- and a superpower.

"But then, Max found her mother. Suddenly, we had a home. There was no need to be together anymore. And then Dylan came along.

"I… was in love. With Max. But Dylan… he was perfect for her. And I realized I had developed a new power: to control other people's emotions. I thought-"

But then he stopped.

"I thought… that maybe the only reason she loved me was because I was controlling her. So, I ran away."

I stared. "You… gave her up?"

Fang nodded.

"And you've been on the run ever since?"

He grimaced. "Not really," he admitted.

"I kept an eye on them for a while. I wanted to make sure that if they were in trouble, I would be there for them. I was there when they fought the Erasers."

"Erasers-?"

But he was on a roll. "I was there when the Flock was adopted- all of them by Dr. Martinez."

"Who's doctor-"

"I was there when the Flock became legal citizens and changed their names. And I was there… when Angel, er… Angelica got drunk on her twenty first birthday."

Tears sprang into his eyes. "I witnessed some sad moments, and happy ones, too. I never fathomed that one day…" he trailed off. "That one day, I wouldn't be there for them."

I thought about it. How terribly sad his life had been up to this point- giving up his true love so she could have a happy life, and then meeting me fifty years later and telling him…

Oh no! I had told him who my grandfather was, and now he was upset!

"Umm, Fang? I can call you that, right?"

He bit his lip. "O-o-okay," he sobbed. He was crying!

But I still had to clear things up.

"So… was James part of this…'Flock'?" I asked.

"You can guess," he replied.

"Was he Dylan?"

"No."

I stared dubiously at him. "But… he was her soul mate! You even said so yourself!"

He shook his head. "It was Iggy."

"So… you gave Max up for no reason- she just decided to marry Iggy because she didn't have you?"

He nodded.

"But it gets worse."

Worse? How could his life possibly get worse?

"I was kidnapped by an old enemy."

And there was the punch line.

"They took me. And they did experiments on me. And they clipped my wings…so I couldn't fly away.

"This was nearly forty years ago. Now, finally, I've escaped. But I didn't know… how much time had passed since I'd been kidnapped. I didn't realize that you…"

I finished for him. "Existed?"

"That Ig and Max had gotten hitched. And that's who I've been looking for."

"Wait," I said. "You're looking for Max?"

"Yes. Anyone with the Flock, actually."

I looked at him sorrowfully. "You've missed her," I said.

"By about eight years."

**I know what you guys are thinking: How is Fang still young? Why did Max marry Iggy? What the heck is going on?**

**Just trust me. All will be revealed….**


	6. Captured

**I know that you people are out there, reading this story. But reading isn't enough- you have to review it too!!!! So please review!!!**

"What are you talking about?!" Fang exclaimed.

"I mean, she disappeared. She's gone."

Fang stared blankly. "No," he whispered.

He was so downtrodden that I decided to let him join me in my search.

"I… I've been looking for her too," I admitted.

"But where did she go?"

"I don't know. Maybe she was kidnapped. But one night she was there and the next morning she was gone. My mom thinks she died. But I know she's still out there."

"Well… where do we start looking?"

"That's the problem- I don't know where."

I sighed. "Anyway, you owe me another favor."

He grinned. "I can teach you to fly. Right now. First, get a shirt with some holes in it."

Before I could protest, he added, "You can wear a jacket over it. Just hurry up."

_One week later…._

I stumbled downstairs to my mom, who was cooking chicken. Boy, Fang's flying lessons were grueling.

"Dinner's ready," she called. I shoveled food into my mouth, then stood up to get seconds. Mom watched me eat ravenously.

"Honey, you've been eating a lot lately," she said tentatively.

"Well, I've been exerting myself more in P.E.," I said evasively. She didn't need to know what I was up to.

"Umm, how's school?"

"Good," I lied. I was so tired from flying, I didn't bother paying attention to my teachers anymore.

"Okay. Let me know if you need anything," she said quietly.

"Err, yeah," I said as I dashed upstairs.

"Here," I told Fang as he grabbed a piece of chicken from my hands. I had spent the past week like this; smuggling food upstairs, hiding Fang, going to school, and trying to keep mom out of my room. In exchange for housing, Fang was teaching me basic survival skills and how to fly. It was all so complicated.

"Hey Fang?" I said aloud.

"Yeah?" he answered.

"I wanted to know- how do you deal with being on the run all the time? And isn't flying exhausting? I mean, how do you do it?"

He shrugged. "I learned earlier than you, so it's easier. You didn't even realize it was possible to fly up to this point."

He stood up.

"Hey, you wanna go by yourself?" he asked.

I was shocked. He _always_ flew next to me. Was he trying to say that I was ready to fly by myself?

He seemingly read my mind. "Sure. Go on ahead. I'll catch up."

I nodded and took off. My muscles had become stronger in less than a week, but the strain of overpowering the wind pulled on them and made pulling my wings up and down hurt. But feeling the joyful rush of air past my face was worth it. Fang was right; flying was everything.

Fang still hadn't joined me. I lagged back, waiting for him.

A few minutes passed. Then ten. Twenty.

Finally, I flew back. Obviously, something was holding him up.

I darted through the window. I didn't see the gun until it clashed against the side of my head. A split second before that, I saw an Eraser holding an unconscious Fang in his arms.

"Looks like we found another pigeon," he jeered. "Don't worry, you can join mommy in the getaway car." He threw back his head and roared with laughter as I blacked out.

**I hope you liked it! PLEASE respond!!!!!**


	7. The Mastermind Behind Everything

I woke up in an unfamiliar room.

I tried to stretch my arms, only to find them bound together.

Mom and Fang sat next to me in a similar predicament.

Mom's head sagged against her bonds.

"Mom!" I shouted. Her head snapped up.

"Anne…? What… happened?" she asked quietly.

"Err… I don't really know," I replied. Sadly, this was the truth.

I nudged Fang with my shoulder. "Hey, Fang, what happened?"

He didn't respond. I realized he was unconscious.

Mom peered over my shoulder. "You know this person?"

"Umm…" I had to come up with an explanation _fast._

Fortunately, the door opened.

Unfortunately, it opened to the welcoming face of many smirking Erasers.

"The boss wants to see you," the leader grinned menacingly.

Mom screamed at the sight of them.

"Don't hurt me!" she wailed.

"Just hush, Nik! We're not here for you!"

Mom blanked out. "How did you know my name?" she whispered.

"Come on. Up!"

Then I realized he was talking to me.

He kicked Fang.

"Nighty night," he taunted.

I was led out to a hallway. Then down another hallway. Led across yet another…

Hallway.

I could tell that we were descending deep, judging by the way my ears were popping continuously. I was struck by a strange thought- why keep your prisoners so far away from your main base? I mean, what if we escaped and there were no guards around to stop us…

Thus harbored in my mind a brilliant escape plan.

Finally, the hallway ended with a door stuck in the wall. It seemed to fit in perfectly with the whole spy/action movie theme.

The Eraser opened the door.

_Pay attention to this, _My voice said.

It's about time you showed up! I thought back indignantly.

But pay attention to what?

Then I noticed that there was no key to the door. No handprint scanner, no face recognizer, no futuristic, high-tech security features anywhere.

Interesting…

The Eraser opened the door.

A room whose walls were covered with gadgets greeted me. Keyboards and TV screens dotted the walls in intervals. The floor was a cold, steely gray.

"So, I finally have you!" a female voice drifted across the cave*.

I turned my head to the voice.

A woman stepped into my view.

"Now, you and your enemy come face to face," she continued. "Kinda poetic, isn't it?"

I stared.

"Uh, who are you, again?" I asked.

The woman grimaced.

"No one knows my name yet. But soon, people will bow at the sight of me! I shall rule everyone! No one will reject me ever again!!! MUAHA-er, ahem."

Apparently she had just begun to emit an evil laugh, but tried to restrain herself.

"So…" I said, "That still doesn't answer my question."

The woman smiled. "I am Lissa," she said proudly.

I looked her in the eye.

"Look here missy," I said. "Since that name doesn't ring a bell, I would like to go home now. If you can't grant me that, at the very least, give me a proper explanation. First, WHO THE HECK ARE YOU!! Second, WHY HAVE YOU BROUGHT ME HERE!! And third, THE FIRST TWO ARE PERFECTLY SELF EXPLANATORY AND YOU'D BETTER ANSWER THEM!!"

She seemed kinda shocked that her prisoner had retaliated. Then her face went livid red.

"Why you little-"

An Eraser popped through the door at that moment.

"Look who decided to wake up," he said evilly.

He unceremoniously pushed Fang into the room and shut the door with an ominous thud.

Fang looked up. "Where's Max?" he said coldly.

I stared. "How would she know where Max-"

But then Lissa interrupted. "I guess the secret's out. How did you guess that I had her?"

"Ari told me."

Lissa grimaced. "You know that's not Ari. It's a clone, Dari. Get it right."

I was still baffled. "Who the heck is Ari-"

But Fang was not silenced. "It doesn't matter! You have Max! Where is she?"

The last sentence came out as a hiss.

"Now why would I show her to you? The only reason you're still alive is because I love you. You know that," Lissa said calmly.

My mouth fell to the ground.

"WHAT THE HE**?!" I screamed.

"Oh, Nicole. Profanity will not be tolerated here," said Lissa.

I fumed. Fang hung his head in defeat.

"Why? Why can't you just get over it? I only went out with you to make Max jealous,"

Said Fang.

Then what he said sunk in.

"Wait… you went out with… BUT HOW! YOU'RE TOO OLD FOR HIM!!" I screamed.

They ignored me.

"You had your chance to redeem yourself. You could have been wealthy. You could have married me. But you threw it away. For a MUTANT!" Lissa screeched.

"In case you haven't noticed, I am a mutant too!" Fang yelled.

"My formula would have made millions. All thanks to you though, I lost thousands of dollars keeping you in captivity!" Lissa ranted.

"Maybe if you hadn't kidnapped me in the first place, none of this would be happening!"

"Maybe if you hadn't run away, I wouldn't be broke!"

"I ran away because you broke me!"

They continued arguing in a similar banter.

"Err… what are you guys talking about?" I voiced. They ignored me.

"Where is Max?" Fang said.

"Oh, it always comes back to her! You want her, you'll get her! Take them out of my sight, Dari."

Dari moved forward and grabbed our arms. We were led out of the room.

"What was that all about?" I asked Fang.

He glared ahead.

Finally, we came across a door to another room.

We were pushed inside and left to ourselves.

Well, not quite by we.

There were six other people in the room. My mom, and four teenagers paced inside.

"Anne! You're okay! What's going on?" Mom asked nervously. "And who are these people?" she added.

A girl with blonde hair stepped forward.

"Let's tell her, guys," she said.

Another blonde haired girl said, "Max, what are you thinking? We don't know them."

The older girl shook her head. "I know them, Angel."

Mom looked at the girls closely.

"…Mom..?" she said timidly.

I looked closer too.

"Gramma?"

Max smiled weakly. "Nicole. Anne. Meet the Flock."


	8. An explanation

"But… you're…"

I couldn't voice it.

"Young? Not old?" Max finished for me.

I nodded breathlessly.

"Well, I guess I have some explaining to do," she said. "Anne, do you know about us?"

I thought for a moment. "Fang told me a little," I said quietly.

"I know that Nicole doesn't know about the Flock. Sweetheart, please don't cower in the corner like that. Everything's going to be okay," she said to my mom- er, her daughter.

Fang walked up to Max.

"Gosh, you've… mellowed," he said to her.

"Well, I am reaching my seventy fifth birthday," she said, as if turning into a teenager happened to her everyday.

"Will someone please explain what's going on?" I half shouted.

"I missed you Fang. Why did you run away?"

"I missed you too. But now, we finally have each other."

Then they started making out!

I realized something, too.

"Hey, Grampa- er… Iggy, you do realize that your wife is kissing another guy, right?"

Iggy stared with his sightless eyes. "I've decided to let her go. In order for you to understand my decision better, I'll tell you my story.

**Iggy's POV**

I'll start when Fang ran away.

You see, Dylan, who is not here right now, decided to call dibs on Max after Fang left.

As Max didn't totally agree with that, they got into a big fight. Finally, Max broke down into this big sob-fest. Dylan didn't know how to deal with his true love crying, so _he _ran away. Good riddance, I'd say. But Max really did love Dylan, but didn't want to go out with him… because what if she wouldn't want Fang back? Finally, she resolved on marrying me several years later. She saw some qualities in me that no one else did.

Although, one of the only reasons we really did marry was to make it easier to protect each other. Being married meant being together all the time, so it would be harder to attack us. And yes, lots of people were out there to get us. We had a very nasty incident on our very wedding night. But that's another story.

We searched for Fang. But we never found him: until now.

**Anne's POV-again**

"Wow," I said. "So after being married… say… thirty years… you're just going to give her up?"

He nodded slowly. "It's what's best. I don't want to stir up old troubles."

"So… how come you're younger than your granddaughter?"

"Well, we still had no clue where Fang was, and we were getting too old and tired to search for him. We had friends in the FBI, so we asked them for help. Almost as soon as we did, we were kidnapped.

"We ended up here, assisting an old enemy build… something."

I stared, wide-eyed. "What?"

"That woman, Lissa. She forced us to build this machine. When it was completed, it looked like a water fountain. Although it was anything but.

You see, Lissa had teamed up with Dr. Chu, so she had access to various computers and technology."

Fang had told me who Dr. Chu was. "Go on," I said.

"She invented the fountain of youth."

Okay, back it up a little. "What did you say?"

"She invented something that would make you live forever. I don't know how it works, exactly, but she had kidnapped us to get revenge on Fang. Why not use us as guinea pigs? And now, look at us."

Angel butted in. "I used to be much younger than everyone else, but we ended up being the same age."

Iggy nodded. "We are all fifteen. And we always will be."

Fang and Max had gotten out of their smooch-fest and were listening attentively.

"She kidnapped us so that she would have someone to put the machine together, and to have someone test it out. But mostly, it was to cause Fang physical and mental pain. She wanted him to suffer for what he did."

"But… what did he do that was so horrible?" I asked inaudibly.

Fang grimaced. "I dumped her at school."

I gaped. "She's out to get you for that? That's so stupid!" Feeling very leaderly, I stood up.

"Do you want to get out of here?" I asked.

Everyone nodded.

"Good. Because I have a plan," I said.

**VOICE: It's a good thing you have a plan, Anne.**

**ANNE: Ahh! Where'd you come from! I came up with it all by myself.**

**ME: Just shut up, you two! You've been at each other's throats for hours now!**

**ANNE: So?**

**ME: Ugg, I think I'm gonna hurl. Just be quiet so I can think of something to write.**

**VOICE: Just remember, I'm going to be with you forever, Anne, so you might as well-**

**ME: Be quiet! *****ties Anne up and puts in closet***** There. Now the umpteenth chapter is finished. I'll leave the readers to wonder what the heck just happened.**


	9. Escape

A little apology from me...

…and good reason for one, too.

*Ahem.*

PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO GO ON FANFICTON RECENTLY!

I am really sorry to keep you waiting for my next installment. See, I haven't been able to access Fanfiction for over a month because my siblings hogged the computer at first… then there was an internet failure… then I forgot my password… and then I realized that everything I'd written was on a different computer.

There. Now that you know the reason for the delay, I hope you won't be mad at me!

But in my lapse of FF withdrawal, I came up with several new ideas and a less crummy ending to the story!

No more reason to keep you waiting now! Enjoy.

* * *

My mom gaped.

"Anne…?"

I stood up, all leaderly-like.

"Yeah. We're busting out of here."

Max shook her head. "Anne, we've been trying to get out for ages. You've gotta have a really good plan for it to work."

Everyone looked shocked.

Fang sighed and threw up his arms in exasperation.

"If even Max has given up, this must be serious," Angel contemplated.

"Argh! Shut up Angel!"

Fang smirked. "So much for mellowing," he murmured to Iggy.

"I heard that. So, what's your plan?"

I smiled.

"There is no plan. We're gonna _wing _it."

Lissa sipped her English tea while gloating over her victory.

She finally had everything: wealth, fame in the scientific community, and of course, Fang.

"Err, Lissa?"

Lissa scowled. "What do you want, Dari?"

Dari was the only flaw in her scheme. He was growing a bit too rebellious for her taste. Pretty soon, she would need to have him eliminated.

Not before making another clone, of course.

But as Dari stood uncomfortably in the doorway, Lissa realized something was wrong.

That's when the alarm in the west wing went off.

"Impossible! They can't have escaped!" Lissa screeched.

"But I thought they were being stored in the north wing…" Dari said.

"That doesn't matter! They're getting away!"

Meanwhile, Fang was creeping down a hallway, while Angel accessed the minds of the guards.

"That's it," she mentally urged him on. "Wait, stop at this corner!"

Fang froze just in time to watch some guards pass by inches from his nose.

"Okay, all clear."

Fang continued down the corridor.

Finally, he made it to the rendezvous point: a blind spot hidden from cameras and guards by a table pressed against the wall. Quickly, Fang slid underneath.

We all silently cheered when Angel relayed back to us that he had made it safely.

"All right, Anne, your turn," she said.

"I nodded, doubtful now that this would work. After all, I didn't have invisibility on my side.

Nudge concentrated for a moment, and the metallic tumblers inside the door clicked open again.

"Go," she said. "I can't keep it like this for long."

I slid through the door carefully, letting Angel guide me through camera blind spots. I just had to pray that a guard wouldn't happen upon me, or I would be dead.

Finally, the table was in sight. All I had to do was cross the hall-

But then my supersonic ears heard footsteps. They were far away, but then again, the guard only had to turn the corner and _see_ me before the plan would be ruined.

_What plan? _Said Angel.

_You're right,_ I thought back to her.

I gathered up my nerves and dashed under the table.

Soon, as planned, we were joined by Nudge, Gazzy, Grampa- er, Iggy, and Angel carrying a dog.

"Where'd he come from?" I said, motioning toward the ratty looking thing.

"Watch your mouth, missie," said the dog.

And I had been beginning to think I saw everything.

Finally, Max arrived, carrying an unconscious Mom.

"She passed out again?" I inquired.

Max sighed. "I guess she can't handle this."

"Well anyway," I began, "We're almost out. According to Angel, one more corner stands between us and freedom!"

We silently cheered.

"So…now what do we do?" said Fang.

I smiled.

Then, I told them the rest of the plan.

They smiled too.

We sprinted for the door.

And those guards never saw what hit them.

Soon, the door was at our backs and our wings were tilted toward the sky.

I looked back at our prison.

It was a large building, like a cross between a castle and a hospital. It overlooked the ocean and sat atop a very high cliff. In fact, the front door led right off it.

Now, I'm grateful Max was grafted with wings instead of, say, froglegs.

Because that would have been a very long drop.

Unfortunately, Lissa _didn't _have wings.

Forgetting the design of her own fortress, she charged out the front door to find her feet leaving the ground. She hung there for a moment, like one of those cartoon characters.

Then she plummeted.

It would have been too late to save her, even if we wanted to.


	10. Epilogue

Epilogue

I don't feel like going much into detail.

Even a month after the escape, I still feel run over by a truck. That was an event I hope will never happen again.

Also, I seem to have developed a new power: While flying one night, I discovered I was cruising at a hundred miles an hour. Because in ten minutes, I was hovering above Daytona Beach- which was four hours away from my house by car.

I also found out that Max has a similar power- but enough about me. I'll tell you how she's doing.

Max and Fang are back together, apparently. And Fang started (or is he finishing?) a blog.

On this blog, he writes about his life to anyone who will listen. Tonight, I read that the flock moved to the desert or something.

Mom offered them to stay here, of course. They accepted the invitation, but then ran away in the middle of the night.

They left a brief note-

_Thank you for everything, but we can't stay in one spot. There are still dangerous people out there, wishing harm upon us. We'll visit, though._

_ -The Flock_

It was hard, losing my grandparents a second time. Yet, it is better to know they are alive than to hide in a shadow of doubt. And besides, Thanksgiving is almost here. They said they'd visit.

Right?

I hear a rap on the window and sit up straight, startled.

A boy is hovering there.

"Fang?" I cautiously whisper.

"No," he says back through the glass. "Dylan."

We stare at each other.

"I'm looking for Max," he says.

Oh, great. Here we go again…


End file.
